Wednesday Skull Session

Sabino to play Saturday? Rumors swirled on Tuesday afternoon that Etienne Sabino could burn his redshirt and play against Minnesota. That notion seems confirmed after Chimdi Chekwa told various media types that Sabino will indeed be suited up and ready to roll in the Twin Cities. This revelation caused even more speculation such as Homan potentially being more banged than originally thought and Dorian Bell possibly being done for the season though Tressel seemed to indicate today that he'd be back after the bye week. This might sound like a silly way to burn a redshirt nine games in but I can't help but wonder if the primary reason he could see the field is to help out our struggling special teams coverage units with a secondary focus on providing LB depth. In his presser, Tressel went out of his way to talk about all the game changing special teams plays at the college and pro levels this past weekend. This news also makes me wonder if something might be up with Newsome. Time will tell. Paul Haynes will certainly be asked about this development tonight during his scheduled media session.

What's in a name? Our friends at Big Ten headquarters are still struggling to come up with names for the two new divisions, the championship game and the actual trophy itself. According to the article, some officials have even scoured message boards looking for ideas.

Obviously, their intent is to come up with meaningful names that will be memorable and sound good when discussed by fans and media alike. As you may recall when Delaney unveiled the divisional alignment back on September 1st, he indicated a hope to have the whole naming fiasco resolved in roughly 90 days. So, the conference still has time but what's taking so long?

Maybe they'll take the honest approach and call the divisions "Paper" and "Cheddar" while naming the championship game "The Big Ten Championship presented by the Highest Bidder"? Anyway, since there's a chance we've got the eyes of the conference honchos on us today, throw out your best ideas for the divisions, the championship game and the winning trophy. Delaney needs you.

Kurt Coleman gets it. This might be old news to some but Coleman was recently spotlighted in The Lantern for being the founding member of OSU's chapter of Uplifting Athletes. The organization is non-profit and focuses on raising money to fight rare diseases. Coleman's motivation came from both his father and roomate's father (fellow founder and OSU fullback Matt Daniels) being diagnosed with cancer.

Coleman organized an event last year to raise awareness for CMT, a disease that both Terrelle Pryor's father and aunt are forced to deal with. The football team has also gotten involved and Donnie Evege currently serves as chapter president. Good stuff.

Notre Dame football is still junk. Fresh off a 35-17 pimp hand delivered by none other than Navy, Brian Kelly is openly wishing to play in any bowl game whatsoever which clearly makes sense as this group needs plenty of practice time. The loss dropped ND to 4-4 on the season and the embarrasment hasn't slowed down. In the aftermath of Navy's rushing clinic emerged video showing Irish senior LB Kerry Neal delivering an atomic stomp to the gut of Midshipman John Howell:

Adding insult to injury, a letter to the Notre Dame school newspaper editor crafted by senior student Matthew McManus was published yesterday. In it, McManus suggests senior students should rush the field following a (potential) loss to Utah on November 13 because, assuming ND beats Tulsa this weekend, a defeat would mean the Irish footballers will have broken the record for losses in a four year period, currently held by the Class of 1964. Ouch. A pretty tasteless letter but since it takes a shot at Notre Dame, we'll allow it.

Switching to the hardwood (you said hard wood)...the wolves are already out waiting for Evan Turner to fail. The Villain averaged just 7.7 points on 31% shooting in the preseason to go along with 5.9 boards and 3.7 assists in 29 minutes per game. Doug Collins is saying all the right things but the fact Turner isn't really sure what position he plays has to be somewhat of a concern for Philly fans. Personally, I'm still saying ET won't be a superstar that justifies a #2 pick but that he will be a productive NBA player for many years. I think it's just going to take some time for him to find his way. Turner seems to agree:

"I understand how I am. I understand that I'm still trying to find my way. If people are worried, they're worried. I'm not really worried because I know what's in me. I never really express worry openly because I know what's in me. I know I start off slow, and I end up dominating. I understand people want to rush me. I'm an impatient person myself."

Turner kicks off his season tonight as the Sixers host the Heat at 7pm. Rip it up, Villain.

Smorgasbored. Some other random links for your perusal include...Joe Pa may be ripe for another public dookie with the news that Denard Robinson is healthy and is expected to start in State College. Rich Rod (see this sign yet?) needs Robinson to halt a two game losing streak before Michigan (5-2) closes the season with Illinois, @Purdue, Wisconsin and @Ohio State. Somebody smell 6-6? Or will they pull off 7-5?...Lost Letterman presents the Top 10 Steve Spurrier Jabs at Tennessee Football. "You can't spell Citrus without UT" will always be classic.

Comments

I think TTUN might become bowl eligible this weekend after the PSU game. PSU sucks this year.

I still like the "Great Plains" and "Great Lakes" Divisions. I know it may not be entirely correct, geographically, but what the hell? Has a nice ring to it, I think. I don't think the "Bo" and "Woody" Divisions would fly because of protests from teams not named Ohio State and Misheegoon.

I think maybe the "Schembechler" and "Hayes" divisions might have a shot -- it sounds like tradition, which the conference just loves to sell, and the nature of that rivalry could instill a certain pride to the different divisions that would give the championship game more drama/weight. Still would be tough to get past the other teams in the conference, but if they want to go with tradition, it'll be somebody with an attachment to one school, so why not the most famous coaching rivalry in history?

i think it's pretty obvious that in keeping with big ten tradition, the championship trophy needs to be some kind of huge obnoxious farmer's tool, like a tractor steering wheel or a bigass wheelbarrow or something

“There’s one thing I have learned through all my adventures and conquests - it’s that some people are just wired for success. I had no choice when it came to being great - I just am great.” – Kenny Powers

what happens when they play each other? Or teams like the Dolphins where that QB from TSUN has to throw the ball to Hartline? Or when Holmes goes against Clements or Winfield? Or Beanie has to run against the Saints with the Fresh Prince of Columbus and Jenkins? What do you do then because it confuses me.....

Henne is no longer the enemy and if he throws well to Brian, great. I think it is great when they have to play against each other. I am sure Tone loves to beat Nate and Antoine and I imagine they love to chase him. Watching the NFL without a dog in the fight is fun.

“There’s one thing I have learned through all my adventures and conquests - it’s that some people are just wired for success. I had no choice when it came to being great - I just am great.” – Kenny Powers

Having played OL with bum ankles at the tackle position is extremely difficult and it causes your technique to fail because you get in the mode of having to guess / anticipate what the DL is going to do. You will notice that Shugarts gets exposed after he has his ankle is rolled into or where DL does 2 or 3 moves on the previous play causing Shugarts to absorb DL blows and shift his wait around. The following play is where the guessing starts to occur after he establishes a neutral position waiting to react to the DL first or second move. However, as the pain increases, the OL will start guessing on the first move and this was where Shugarts was being burned. It is easier to run block with bad ankles because most of the time you know where you need to be and moving forward is a lot easier than moving laterally. In pass blocking for a tackle position, the first move for the OL is typically a lateral-backwards movement, which can hurt, especially if the bad ankle is on the outside leg. Once the first move is complete, there can be a moment of hesitation as the OL gets into his technique. This hesitation can be exploited with a speed rush.

Shugarts either needs to be honest about his pain or stop cheating the system in practice so he looks more capable of playing at higher level than he actually is capable of playing. If it is Shugart’s Right Ankle, the coaching staff may need to replace him or move to the other side of the formation.

“There’s one thing I have learned through all my adventures and conquests - it’s that some people are just wired for success. I had no choice when it came to being great - I just am great.” – Kenny Powers

Since the Ro-tel division winner will be playing the winner of the Velveeta division the championship game should be called the "Queso Cup" and they should be playing for the Haas Avocado trophy. Which would be a big brass avocado, of course.

Turner kicks off his season tonight as the Sixers host the Heat at 7pm. Rip it up, Villain

I'm afraid to watch as the Heat will be playing all out after failing in Boston. ET has a special place in my Buckeye heart after being a strong character kid and beating Michigan with that half court buzzer beater. I thought Thad was going to punch Beilein in the face. I really want him to do well to avoid the harshness of the Philly fanbase.

As for divisions, I would prefer "great lakes" and "Heartland" or "Plains". Woody and Bo seems a little weird, even for this Buckeyes fan. Certainly the great lakes are a distinguishing feature of our area of the country, and is an appropriate label.

If not, I agree with the previous poster that directional divisions (north/south) is next best, even if the geopgraphy is a little off. Hell, math never mattered for the name of the conference to begin with, so why would having correct geography matter?

They really don't need to overthink this or get too cute. Divisions have existed in many sports for many years, there are plenty of examples to choose from.

As for the Title game trophy, I say the league hands out large gold pants

For divisions I like "The Tundra" (northern schools) and "The Tillage" (farmland schools).

The trophy should be a 2-3 foot (like the size of a beer keg) long golden or silver Cider Cask (I like the nostalgia provided here by the strong history and popularity of hard cider during pre-Prohibition America; plus the cider connection helps to throw off any criticism from would be teetotalers, who might object to a beer cask). I think some SEC schools used to have a beer keg trophy, but this would be much classier. You could even call it something unrelated to alcohol if need be "The Golden Barrel".

Every player who wins the trophy should have his name inscribed on it, like the Stanley Cup. When the cask is fully inscribed and there is no more room, you would be able to remove a stave and replace it with a blank one (again, like the Stanley Cup).

Maybe you could work in some sort of reward with the staves too. Like if there are 10 years per stave, and your school won the most championships during those 10 years, then when that stave comes off, your school get's to keep the Golden Stave in their trophy case. Obviously you could set-up tie breakers to determine who gets it if no one team has an outright lead. Or, if there is the eventual genesis of a centrally located BigTen hall of fame, the staves could go there for display.

Sabino burning a redshirt intrigues me a bit. On special teams, he was crucial to our success. Didn't think he was bad at OLB either. I like the move, if it indeed happens. These injuries are starting to take a toll on everyone in the B10.